HEAD coach James Ford believes it's time to add dual-reg dynamism to his York City Knights ranks – and is hoping to bring in Super League stars James Clare and Michael Channing for Sunday's key clash with Rochdale.

Ford has had nothing but high praise for his troops so far as they contend with homelessness and the off-field strife currently enveloping the club.

But, despite four comfortable wins over relative minnows, his men have yet to beat any of their League One promotion rivals to date, with last Friday's defeat at Newcastle being the third such reverse and leaving them in eighth place.

With April Player of the Month Josh Tonks also a doubt for Sunday's meeting with the leaders after joining the injury list due to a dead leg, Ford is poised to dip into partner club Castleford's ranks for dual-reg reinforcements out wide, with 24-year-old Clare, who has played once before for the Knights, and Channing, 22, pencilled in for starting roles.

Both have been recalled to the Tigers' 19-man squad for their match at Hull KR tomorrow night but if they don't play, they will be eligible to line up against the Hornets.

Said Ford: "I speak to Cas regularly about dual-reg. Up to now I've pretty much refrained from using it, apart from James Clare.

"As long as my players play well I won't use DR, so the ball's in their court.

"But it's not an under-20s development team I'm coaching. I've got to develop the players but I've also got to win games.

"We've had a whole heap of strife and the players have done a really good job of dealing with it and sticking together, but we have to do that and win matches as well.

"Part of the environment I have here is that we don't make excuses. We don't blame referees, injuries, the weather, anything. We look internally and look for areas we can improve."

Clare, who played for York in their defeat at Swinton a month ago, has turned out nine times for Cas this year and Channing eight, his last in the loss to Wigan on May 8.

Of the planned arrivals, Ford said: "Having watched Rochdale on tape, what James Clare and Michael Channing would bring, especially for us in exit, will really suit us this week.

"With the attitude James brings to training and to game-day, he's certainly a player who suits my criteria.

"Michael Channing is a very quick, evasive outside-back and a tough competitor.

"I'm sure he would really help us get on the front foot out of exit. He'd suit how we're setting up to play on Sunday."

He added: "Castleford have got some quality outside-backs and there's tough competition for places. It's up to Daryl Powell (Cas coach) who he picks and who becomes available for us."

Ford is contemplating further changes on Sunday but said he would give the majority of the 17 that lost 32-14 at Newcastle a chance to right those wrongs.

"Rochdale are top of the league. It's going to be really tough," he said. "I like how they're set up and they've got some good players. I'm sure it will be an entertaining match.

"My players did not demonstrate how good they are last Friday. Most will have the opportunity to correct what they did wrong.

"I've got great belief in these players. They were just as upset as I was and they're desperate to get back out there and show they're better than that.

"After watching the Newcastle game in detail, if you take our start away we showed character and togetherness to fight back. We should have been dead and buried at half-time, but we showed confidence and belief in each other, which was a real positive.

"It also could have changed if Tyler Craig's try had not been wrongly ruled out.

"I'm not saying we would have won but that try would have made it 24-10 and, with the character in our team, it would have been game on. But they went up the other end and made it 30-4. That's a 12-point swing."